On 30 October 2018, the National Energy Administration (NEA) reported that China had added 34.54 GW of solar PV in the first three quarters of 2018. This brings total installed PV capacity to 165 GW. NEA is now discussing new PV targets for 2020, with reported proposals ranging from 210 GW to 270 GW.

Based on these figures, IHS Markit slightly raises the 2018 outlook for China from 37 GW to 40 GW and remains optimistic that China will maintain a steady level of annual installations. Quarterly fluctuations will continue, with patterns depending on policy design.